Ebony watched the people with her. They sat and waited to hear now that they’d showered and changed. She hated this, and she hated even more that Franco avoided her at every chance he got. Ebony tried to take it up with him, but he left the room. Benedict told her to leave him alone and give him some time. He’d try to talk with him again about it. But he wouldn’t tell Ebony what was wrong with Franco. Now she feared she’d done something wrong, but she didn’t know what she’d done. How could she fix things with a potential mate if he wouldn’t tell her what she did? Between the guilt she felt for how she’d last spoken to Peter, Peter’s condition, Franco’s silence, and Benedict’s abruptness, Ebony felt so alone. Her sisters couldn’t relate to her situation and could give her little advice on what she should say or do. Her mother wasn’t there yet, and her father stood there glaring at everyone. Whenever he saw a staff member, he’d demand an upda
Ebony didn’t know what she’d do with Franco. What did Franco want? She couldn’t get help from Benedict because Ran pulled him away. Peter was alone somewhere in bed. He couldn’t come to find them. No, the healer said; he wasn’t with them anymore. He’d gone on as if he’d died. Gone on to the next part of his existence, without them. His body lived for now. How long would that last? His soul couldn’t return to his body or them. It wasn’t fair. He’d done nothing to call for such an end. She couldn’t bear the thought he’d suffered. She’d been unaware of it happening right there behind her. Ebony couldn’t apologize to him for the last things she’d said. The whole thing stuck in her craw. She couldn’t make amends to Peter. There’s no way she could explain to him how much she cared for him. She wanted him in her life. Just like Franco and Benedict. How she would miss him. She could not say goodbye to Peter. She’d never get to hold him again. He just wouldn’t be
Benedict returned to the waiting room and found Ebony gone and Magnus there. “What’s going on? Where’s Ebony and Ivory, for that matter?” “We need to talk right now about Franco.” Magnus started out of the gate with this, and Benedict felt himself losing his patience with Franco and his sudden change in attitude. “Where is he?” Benedict intended to find Franco and set him straight on what would happen from here on out. Franco embarrassed Benedict with his behaviour and he would stand for Franco disrespecting Ebony like this. “He’s with Peter right now. But before you see him again, you need to know what Ivory found out.” Magnus made a placating gesture with his hands. It did little for Benedict’s mood. “What’s wrong? Is it bad?” Benedict hated running around in circles or beating around the bush with conversations. He wanted to know the facts right away. No lies. No placations. Just the facts. Rip the bandage o
Benedict finally found Ebony, but not before she’d gone to visit Peter. He’d not spoken to her and with Franco in the room, he couldn’t pull her aside and explain himself. What Magnus didn’t understand when Franco had spoken to Benedict before Ivory spoke to him with Magnus present. Franco had argued with Benedict because he’d assumed Benedict would abandon Ebony with him. That’s where Benedict suspected, upon reflection, that Ivory received her belief that Benedict would leave Ebony in favor of Franco. But that wasn’t the case at all. Franco misinterpreted Benedict’s silence and upset about their argument. When Benedict left Franco’s side to go to Ebony’s, he’d told him he didn’t think he was ready to decide something like that. Peter had died almost an hour before this, and Benedict felt numb to it right now as he watched Franco and Ebony fall apart. Franco’s anger at Benedict now was too much, and he wouldn’t accept Benedict’s comfort. When Benedict tr
Ran’s phone blew up with calls from his home pack. With his parents and the board, they tried to provide him with instructions about what to do with a possible wayward kidnapped pup who’d grown into an adult wolf shifter. The issue was difficult to solve because the instructions conflicted radically. His mother wanted Ran to bring Benedict home. The board wanted to imprison him until they could discern if he might have the possibility of becoming a danger to any part of the pack. After all, he’d received a lot of heavy influencing from his father, who turned out to have been an enormous problem for the pack. Now they feared his pup would be the same problem. The board wouldn’t take his word as proof or allow him to take responsibility of Benedict. Then the issue that was Franco and Ebony came into the equation and everything ground to a halt. No one would move until the board met, and they decided on the correct method to continue with Bene
They completed the plans to send Peter away quickly. It all felt too soon for Ebony, but it must be done. Franco attended the services, but mostly kept to himself. Benedict struggled with the idea that a pack could summon him at any moment. It wasn’t the easiest situation as Con, Magnus, and Ran all pushed Benedict to talk to them about his life. Ebony wondered if part of Franco’s problem wasn’t his questions about his mating instincts, but his feelings about being left behind and Benedict receiving all the attention. She might be the one receiving Franco’s frustration and anger. Goddess, she didn’t want to lose anyone else. She’d only just found them, and she was sending one off to the next stage of his existence. Wolves gathered, pyre laid by lake, awaiting lighting and floating. Only a few spoke words. Only Ebony, Benedict, and Franco knew Peter. But for his effort and losing his life, Ebony’s father honored him as a warri
Ebony and Benedict slipped away to have time alone together in what felt like was forever. When they locked the door and looked at each other. “This feels weird.” Was the first thought Ebony could think of what to say aloud as she stood there looking at the wolf who insisted he was her mate still. The last one standing, the last one here. “I don’t think it’s us being together that feels weird. It’s realized the others aren’t here and we feel guilty because we don’t need to consider them into what happens between us,” Benedict said to her. He agreed, but didn’t agree. She looked down as she thought about it. “Yeah, I guess. I mean, trying to spread my time out between three was a full-time job. I always wondered in the back of my head if I was being fair to everyone.” Ebony said. She continued her thoughts from what he thought happened inside both their minds. “I must admit, it was exciting and a learning experience. But I wis
The Council finally called in the wee hours of the morning. Benedict expected his phone to ring and perhaps Ran’s. Not Ebony’s father’s, Magnus, and Con’s phones as well. The Council wanted him to show up as soon as possible with added demands. Benedict must appear with his prospective mates or mate in tow. The Council representative didn’t want to know about his loss of Peter or that Franco had left him. One or one hundred possible or current mates and pups must appear with him. The only issue was they must be with him. There were more demands, and Benedict wasn’t sure how he was supposed to achieve one of them. He must arrive with proof of his blood ties to the pack. A human DNA test would work if they had time, but they didn’t have that time. He might have a week or less. They wanted him to give them a list of his skills, education, and work experience. They wanted to know what his hobbies were. “I feel like I’m applying for a job, not verifying who I